Posted on May 21, 2023
WA mushroom farm ordered to pay $3.4 million for discriminating against female workers
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A little more than a year ago, a mushroom farm in Eastern Washington put a job posting on Facebook, looking for only male workers. The post was made by a lead employee of what was then Ostrom Mushroom Farms in Sunnyside. Now, the farm has been ordered to pay $3.4 million to settle allegations of discrimination against 170 female farmworkers it fired, apparently because of their sex.
The Washington state attorney general's office says farm management at Ostrom believed their female workers had child-care obligations and could not work late hours or on weekends.
From April 2021 to April 2022 the farm laid off a portion of its female employees and replaced them with male H-2A visa workers.
The attorney general's office sued the company for misuse of the H-2A visa program, which is intended to allow companies to hire migrant workers only when there's a shortage of domestic workers.
Many of the fired employees live minutes away from the farm.
One of those former employees, Daniela Barajas, said when the farm first moved to Sunnyside people were excited because of its proximity to their homes. But then the layoffs started.
The Washington state attorney general's office says farm management at Ostrom believed their female workers had child-care obligations and could not work late hours or on weekends.
From April 2021 to April 2022 the farm laid off a portion of its female employees and replaced them with male H-2A visa workers.
The attorney general's office sued the company for misuse of the H-2A visa program, which is intended to allow companies to hire migrant workers only when there's a shortage of domestic workers.
Many of the fired employees live minutes away from the farm.
One of those former employees, Daniela Barajas, said when the farm first moved to Sunnyside people were excited because of its proximity to their homes. But then the layoffs started.
WA mushroom farm ordered to pay $3.4 million for discriminating against female workers
Posted from kuow.org
Farming
Agriculture
State of Washington
Discrimination
Lawsuit
Posted 11 mo ago
Responses: 3
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Ostrom Mushroom Farms, a major producer in the Pacific Northwest, will pay a $3.4 million fine for gender discrimination and other unfair and discriminatory practices, resolving a lawsuit filed last year by the Washington Attorney General’s Office.
Officials leading the Sunnyside, Washington, company failed to take responsibility for any wrongdoing before selling the business to Windmill Farms of Ontario, Canada, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Wednesday.
They did agree, however, to pay the $3.4 million fine, Ferguson said during a news conference at the Centilia Cultural Center in Seattle. His office will use the money to pay more than 170 workers eligible for damages.
“It’s obvious what they did,” Ferguson said. “They’re not paying $3.5 million to the state of Washington unless they did something wrong.”
The resolution comes as Yakima Valley workers now employed by the Canadian company continue to push for union recognition. Several who made the trip to Seattle said they won’t work for Windmill Farms until officials recognize the union."...
..."Ostrom Mushroom Farms, a major producer in the Pacific Northwest, will pay a $3.4 million fine for gender discrimination and other unfair and discriminatory practices, resolving a lawsuit filed last year by the Washington Attorney General’s Office.
Officials leading the Sunnyside, Washington, company failed to take responsibility for any wrongdoing before selling the business to Windmill Farms of Ontario, Canada, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Wednesday.
They did agree, however, to pay the $3.4 million fine, Ferguson said during a news conference at the Centilia Cultural Center in Seattle. His office will use the money to pay more than 170 workers eligible for damages.
“It’s obvious what they did,” Ferguson said. “They’re not paying $3.5 million to the state of Washington unless they did something wrong.”
The resolution comes as Yakima Valley workers now employed by the Canadian company continue to push for union recognition. Several who made the trip to Seattle said they won’t work for Windmill Farms until officials recognize the union."...
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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